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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25660906">How (Not) to Lose an Arm in the Land of Ages</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenKnife/pseuds/KrakenMo'>KrakenMo (goldenKnife)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dreaming of Sunshine - SilverQueen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A surprising number of people are alive from previous games, Actual Spy Shino, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cullen is not In Charge of any mages, Glowing Hand!Sasuke, Not Solas friendly, Science enchanter Shikako, Self-Indulgent, Team In Charge of Inquiries, World Building!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:08:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,902</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25660906</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldenKnife/pseuds/KrakenMo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dreaming of Sunshine/Dragon Age Inquisition crossover Featuring Glowing Hand!Sasuke, Science-Enchanter Shikako, and Actual Spy Shino working together and totally disrupting the plot of the game from the word go. I shall smash the two canons together and break off the parts I don't care for.</p><p>*<br/>Two Jounin and one Special Jounin to provide security for a Religious leader during a peace conference was either not enough or overkill. </p><p>The request and ocean crossing both took time, and they were late... or maybe just in time.</p><p>Sasuke, Shino, Shikako and the Divine found themselves in what Justinia called The Fade, which was apparently dreamland except with spirits and demons. Lots and lots of demons. It had taken a little time to clear a space to talk. But since it was dreamland, getting rid of the demon guts was just a matter of wanting to be clean, so that was nice.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>235</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Best of Fanfiction, Heliocentrism — a Dreaming of Sunshine recursive collection</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue- Let Me Sum Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In which the plot takes a beating from ninja teenagers- a beating that will not stop</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The Conclave is in ruins- those who didn’t die in the explosion have scattered and started fighting again.”</em></p><p>
  <em>Sasuke considered the demand, the two women glaring at him, the green glowing chakra brand on his left hand, and decided that it was best to start in the middle and summarize.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dark-haired half of Team Seven needing to spend a bit of time out of the village for political reasons was not wholly unprecedented at this point in their careers, and as Shino had been along for the ride for the inciting incident, so he was along when they were assigned the last minute mission to the Land of Ages. Two Jounin and one Special Jounin to provide security for a Religious leader during a peace conference was either not enough or overkill, but the mission request didn’t have a lot of detail. The implication was that they would not be the only team working security helped keep Sasuke from packing the entirely of the Uchiha Arsenal into his newly inked Hammer-space tattoo- he only brought half. Shikako was similarly armed, so they would not lack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They grabbed a stack of standard briefing and language adjustment packets before heading out. Shikako had managed to wrestle something more recent from Intel, which was good, since the political situation of the countries across the Waking Sea had taken a volatile turn in the last few years. Explosions and rebellions and schisms over the proper use of magic- the local word for chakra- much like home, with a layer of different cultural assumptions and the strangest names shoveled on top. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d made good time in the ocean crossing and into the mountains to the temple where the Conclave was to be held, but from the number of trained but oddly shaped chakra signatures gathered at the Temple of Ashes it was clear that they were arriving late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d decided to report directly to Divine Justinia, who was the one who’d sent the letter to hire them and left enough of her personal scent on the letter for one of Shino’s Kikaichu to track her immediately. But Shikako had sensed something </span>
  <em>Wrong</em>
  <span> with the people nearest to the Divine as they’d approached and so the squad had gone in prepared for trouble. Sasuke’s Sharingan had already been whirling when they’d gone through the door into </span>
  <span>
    <span class="u">Sacrifice of an Elder, Anchored Seal Circle with Implements</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span> and Sasuke had flicked his eyes around the room to commit the tableau to memory. </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>The source of the </span>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wrongness</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <span> was an eight foot tall spindly ritualist with needle-claw hands and red-wreathed chakra-crystals growing from his skin, wearing armored robes of an unfamiliar design that was different from the armor worn by his minions- </span>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perhaps a false flag operation?</span>
  </em>
  <span>
    <span> The Ritualist held a metal or ceramic orb that pulsed with a different flavor of contained and compressed Chakra, layered with the same red dancing sparks as the spindle man’s growths. Gathered around him and the floating woman in white was a circle of thirteen figures of a more usual height, all dressed in variations of the local armor styles with distinct Bird-Lion Iconography. Only two of the assistants, also dressed in robes, seemed to be actively involved in the seal being drawn on the floor in blood and light, the others acting as anchors for the energy welling up from under the earth. Most of the anchor assistants looked blank, as if under an Genjutsu, but the one across the circle looked at Sasuke with desperation and fear, a woman actively fighting for control of her mind and body. </span>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“<em>Could you describe them in more detail?” Cassandra Pentaghast asks. “Some of the survivors might recognize them.”</em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<em>Untie me and I can ink a painting.”</em></span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The Divine’s Right Hand does not undo the bonds, and Sasuke continues working his way free on his own. Politics is all well and good, but he’s a ninja, not a prisoner.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <span>Everyone exploded into motion. The ritualist shouted for the intruders to be killed. Sasuke counter with “Surrender and live” because mind controlled minions were often willing to throw their captors under the landslide. The Divine smacked the metal ball full of chakra at him and he’d caught it rather than let it explode against the wall behind him. Shikako dashed forward in Shadow form and pulled the Divine free of the odd chakra bindings that held her up in the air, while Shino deployed his Kikaichu to overwhelm and distract the assistants- bugs burrowing into ones armor was effective that way. Sasuke ducked the first fireball thrown at him and tried to tear away whatever Genjutsu or control technique the ritualist was using on his followers.</span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>Then the Ritualist had Screeched like an offended moose and the ball in Sasuke’s hand had </span>
  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Started to Explode.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>His perception of time had slowed even further with adrenaline in that moment, but it was still hard to remember everything that happened at once. Shikako throwing up a barrier seal around herself, Shino and the Divine. The desperate woman launching herself at the Ritualist. The Ball’s chakra biting into his hand and exploding the wall and ceiling and </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>
      <b>world</b>
    </span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>... as he shoved the thing into hammer-space.</span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>Sasuke decided to not mention that he had half a massive explosion in progress tucked away in a folded pocket of space time tattooed onto his hip. Might make people nervous, since he had no idea how to safely get it out. </span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>He, Shino, Shikako and the Divine had awoken in what Justinia called The Fade, which was apparently dreamland except with spirits and demons. Lots and lots of demons. It had taken a little time to clear a space to talk. But since it was dreamland, getting rid of the demon guts was just a matter of wanting to be clean, so that was nice.</span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“<em><span>Divine Justinia is Alive?!” Leliana Nightingale interjects, dropping down to stare into his face from a few inches away, face full of hope. </span></em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<em><span>Last I saw her,” Sasuke confirms, not blinking.</span></em></span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<em><span>Continue,” she says, face shuttering closed as she backs off. </span></em></span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>None of the others remembered how they’d gotten to the Fade, or anything that had happened the previous day. Examination of their spiritual energy had revealed something- probably a demon- had taken a bite and their recent memories along with said bite. Shino and Shikako had shared a look about the general cheat that was the Sharingan, but Sasuke ignored them in the classic Uchiha manner. His memory worked differently, and in this case it was a good thing.</span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>After debating what to do for a little time, they had elected to follow the tugging of the Chakra brand on his hand. It had led them toward a weakness in the wall between the Fade and the physical world, but Shikako’s attempts to study the effect had activated something and he’d been pulled through the rift without the others. </span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <span>
      <span>And stumbled into three upset swordsmen and a mage who weren’t interested in a negotiation. Sasuke had let himself be taken into custody rather than fight, since the transition had nearly emptied the last of his chakra stores. They’d just emerged from the shattered remains of the Temple of Ashes before he’d presumably been knocked out by a frantic man in fancy armor with strange sizzling chakra. </span>
    </span>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“<span><span>The rest you’ll have to tell me. How long was I asleep?” </span></span></span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. In and Out</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sasuke puts on his stompy boots.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>Cassandra considered the prisoner- if what he said was true... many things might be different than she feared. “You were unconscious for two days. Can you open the rift again, and bring your team and the Divine back?”</p><p>“I remember what it felt like.” he flexed the hand that held the mark. “And my reserves should be enough.”</p><p>“Getting you back into the valley could be a problem,” Leliana put in as she pulls the man to his feet. Standing, Sasuke Uchiha only comes up to her nose, but he holds himself with enough contained power and confidence to compensate. Leliana lets out a half-laugh of stress escaping when he hands her the shackles, having freed himself during the interrogation. “Or perhaps not.”</p><p>“Demons are falling from the sky, Leliana,” Cassandra reminds them before they could form a conspiracy of scouts and sneak off. “Even if you can get past them, you will need protection while you are focusing on re-opening the rift to the Fade.”</p><p>“Very well Cassandra. You two can gather the other volunteers while I go ahead to the forward camp to arrange reinforcements.”</p><p>“Very well.”</p><p>It is the work of minutes to gather the Apostate Solas and Varric from the tiny camp kitchen and collect the freshly re-armored Sasuke from the chantry cells. When they all step out of chantry she can feel the glares of various survivors, but after a moment the feeling dissipates along with the presence of her former prisoner. “I’m still here, lead on,” she hears him whisper, and so she does.</p><p>Whatever stealth technique he is using fades as they exit the gates to introductions and talk of the nature of the Breach and the Mark on Sasuke’s hand as a pulse in the former causes the latter to spark and shake. Solas shares his theories and Sasuke raises an eyebrow when the mage tries to assure her that ‘he is no mage’ but doesn’t correct the description. From what little Cassandra can sense and from his report, Sasuke and his team are at least Mage-adjacent. Still, when their group encounters small groups of demons, Sasuke pulls a sword with no cross guard from nowhere and backs her up rather than holding back with Solas and Varric. His blade glows faintly as he cuts into a Wisp demon, as precise as his steps across the ice, and Cassandra realizes he must be saving his magical energy for the task at the end of their journey.</p><p>They cut down the demons outside the bridge gate before attempting to close the small rift that had formed there, despite Solas urging Sasuke to close it before more came through. Solas reaches for Sasuke’s wrist to drag him hand-first toward the glowing green shimmers, but the shorter man twists out of his grip and flickers to the other side of the rift circle. Sasuke settles into a more grounded stance, then raises his hand and focused. A loop of green energy lances out to grab onto the heart of the rift, spinning like a rope in a pulley cranking the rift closed. He smirks at all of them as the energy disengages with a flash and turns to face the soldiers manning the gate with a slight bow. “Open up!”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Sasuke is already so done with social interactions for the day, but holds his head high and body language open. The morale of the soldiers around them is fragile, and he can feel as much as see the frission of hope still spreading through them with the closing of the smaller rift. Eyes shift to them, and he dares not shrink under the scrutiny. <em>To be Shinobi is to endure.</em></p><p>
  <span>He listens to Chancellor Roderick call for his imprisonment and a retreat and spout his hopeless drivel for about thirty seconds before he calls on his untapped reserves of Grandstanding to cut the man off. “I am not your prisoner to kill,” he tells the Chancellor, and the man shrinks back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One simply could not be part of Team Seven without learning the art of Hope Talk no Jutsu, even if Sasuke preferred to let Naruto and Shikako give the motivational speeches. Sasuke motions with his marked hand up the mountain toward the temple ruin and the hole in the sky above it, raising his voice to carry over the bridge and the surrounding troops. “Your battles are not in vain, the rifts like the one that was outside the gate </span>
  <em>can</em>
  <span> be closed. I will return to the Temple of Sacred Ashes. With your brave soldiers to help,” he indicates all of them are included with another glowing gesture. “We will rescue Divine Justinia and my team from the Fade. Then deal with the Breach. Together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He steps up to the Chancellor’s table, looking over the maps and lists there. “Leliana, Cassandra, can you tell me about the abilities of the available troops?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Leliana smirks at him as the Chancellor relinquishes the command table to the three of them. Sasuke tilts his head and focuses his gaze on the map, though he listens to the muttering behind him. Elders could find ways to make your life difficult without ever lifting a blade. In this case, the Chancellor is spluttering about his claim about Justinia’s potential survival, while the nearest soldiers are amazed and energized by the same idea. Roderick wouldn’t be able to do anything unless they came back empty-handed, but if they did he’d make their lives hell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke didn’t intend to fail. </span>
</p><p>*</p><p>“<span>If you can’t trust the mages behind you, Commander Cullen, let Leliana and her scouts bring them and let’s go,” Sasuke cut across the argument from his perch on the parapet and put his left foot down onto the deployment map they’d scratched together. “It’s been an hour. I ate and did a sketch for you, I’m ready. If you’re not ready now then you can follow us.”</span></p><p>“<span>But-”</span></p><p>“<span>Now, Commander.” Sasuke uses the table as a launch point to leap to the middle of the double-squad of mages standing just far enough away to feign not hearing the argument about them. </span></p><p>“<span>Is the Divine really alive?” young man about Sasuke’s height, but with pointed ears and elegantly pointed features asks before his elders can stop him.</span></p><p>“<span>Yes,” Sasuke replies confidently, because if any of them died before he has a chance to rescue them Sasuke would storm the afterlife and drag them back for the lecture of a lifetime. “My team keeps her safe for now, but the sooner we get them out the better.”</span></p><p>“<span>We’re with you. The fighting needs to stop, and the Divine is our best chance,” a silver-haired woman says, and the others nod in agreement. </span></p><p>“<span>If you can close the Breach, </span><em>I</em><span> don’t care about the Divine,” one of the men mutters too low for most people to hear, and Sasuke doesn’t react to the comment, but notes it for later. </span></p><p>“<span>We’re glad for your help.” Sasuke motions them toward Leliana and starts walking uphill. Wrangling the different factions into working together isn’t his job, except where it interferes with protecting the Divine. Which, if this job continues, may end up being a lot. </span></p><p>
  <span>Varric is the first to fall into step with him, as if he’s been waiting for such a cue, “You rally the troops often?”</span>
</p><p>“<span>Not usually so many,” Sasuke admits. </span></p><p>
  <span>The stout man considers the squads forming up around them as they continue their walk. Many still eye Sasuke with a mix of suspicion and hope. “Let’s hope you can keep it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke finally gets to a chance to use his favorite word for nonsense, “Hn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varric laughs. </span>
</p><p>*</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The auditory illusions were not genjutsu, Sasuke didn’t need his Sharingan to know that. Instead they prickle along the edges of his new chakra brand in a different harmonic to the rifts, like the strings of a koto vibrating when their neighbors were plucked. He focuses as the words of the ritualist and the divine wash over the group, moving his hand slowly to feel how the plucking changes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He thought perhaps what he was feeling was “the Veil” that their briefing documents had spoken of, the poorly understood Difference that made chakra use so different on this continent. Shikako had mentioned feeling it as their ship had approached, like a fog across her mind and senses, and they had all taken to checking themselves for genjutsu upon waking because of the strange effects upon their dreams. It made splitting chakra into Yin or Yang release easier, but they didn’t have the time to study any other effects. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The energy lingering in the air is not anything he’s encountered before- not the lingering traces of old jutsu or seal, but lines of flowing, living energy twisting through the air and the ground. From the reactions of the others, the effect is broadly visible. He shields his eyes to hide the tell-tail red of his Sharingan and is both please and dismayed at what it shows him. The easily visible lines are spillover, the smoke compared to the actual fire of chakra lines running through the area. His eyes trace a line of Energy from the Breach overhead, through the rift he wants to open and down into the earth toward something that is </span>
  <em>alivingheartofstone-beatssoslowbutsteady</em>
  <span> he tears his gaze and attention away, deactivating his Sharingan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> He stares at the brand on his hand and tries to think of how it might- </span>
  <em>might</em>
  <span>- be making him see dragon lines. The “It could kill you, really don’t mess with Nature energy Shikako-” “Oh, we can use them to make an Earthquake, I believe in you Taicho-” “Lets get some actual training from Tenzou so if you have to rewrite a map in the future we can be more efficient, oh but let’s not level the village” Dragon lines. Or perhaps the Veil makes Nature Chakra so different in this place that anyone can see it. There isn’t enough time to test it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least he doesn’t have to worry about collapsing again from chakra exhaustion, if he can pass the Closing String Technique to the Line rather than doing it all himself. </span>
</p><p>“<span>Can you do it?” Cassandra asks, bringing him back to the present, and he hums an affirmative, following the others as they move through the rubble. </span></p><p>
  <span>Some of that rubble is growing red crystals, but Sasuke’s shoulder nudging Cassandra’s side is much less subtle than Varric’s unhappy identification of the stuff. Sasuke makes a note to find out what color ‘lyrium’ is supposed to be soon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Varric doesn’t </span>
  <em>hiss</em>
  <span> in outrage when Sasuke steps closer and whispers that the Red Lyrium “felt the same as the Ritualist who did this,” but it’s a close thing. The calculating look he flicks between the Ninja, the Seeker, and the rest of their group only confirms Sasuke’s assessment of his general shrewdness. </span>
  <em>Good.</em>
  <span> Sasuke didn’t really trust these people and he needn’t feel alone in that. Solas’ inane statement about the explosion “corrupting the lyrium” is either disingenuous in the extreme or it was plain dumb luck that the mage hadn’t made the Chakra-brand on Sasuke’s hand worse while studying it </span>
  <em>while he was unconscious. </em>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, Solas keeps trying to walk near him, but Sasuke is an S-rank master at maintaining a teammate buffer between himself and unwanted attention. Varric is nearly as good as Naruto for this, and Cassandra exuded Protection like a smaller and stabbier Akamichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they arrive at center of the explosion crater, Cassandra pulls out the drawing he had done and compares it to the smoky figure yelling in fury, nodding. “Perhaps you can do another?”</span>
</p><p>“<span>I told you that was just a sketch,” Sasuke replies, staring up at the shifting green spikes of the rift below the larger Breach and the visual echoes of the Ritualist. The Fade is better at sounds than Visual, it seems. “I can do better with more time.”</span></p><p>“<span>Fair enough.” Cassandra tucks the sketch away. </span></p><p>“<span>I’ll try to signal my team so they’re the first ones through, but we had to fight a bunch of demons the first time we found a rift,” He trails off. Sasuke is more than willing to let her direct the local forces in this little fight, as he is still learning about their capabilities. Instead he stations himself above the dragon line and steadies his breathing. </span></p><p>“<span>That means demons. Stand ready!” Cassandra calls, and squads move into position around them. </span></p><p>
  <span>At Cassandra’s nod, Sasuke raises his hand, hooks the chakra of the Brand into the Rift and pulsing it in the Kohona code for /</span>
  <em>Evacuate, Back-up Ready. Evacuate,</em>
  <span>/ He waits, pulsing the message twice more as he counts to 49 in his head, and then begins opening the rift in earnest. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shikako feels the pulses of energy and reads the first code before even trying to figure out the exact location of the source. </span>
  <em>Evac.</em>
</p><p>“<span>Shino, Justinia, Time to go,” she calls, tucking her notes into hammerspace with more speed than neatness. They’d discussed what to do after the first rift they’d found had eaten Sasuke, and put the plan into motion without discussion. Justinia douses the fire with a thought and turns to Shino, who kneels to accept her onto his back. Shikako turns in place to refine her lock on the signal. It isn’t far, but it will take some tricky jumps even with the weird mind-over-matter physics of this place. But they are ninja, physics is no obstacle to their shenanigans.</span></p><p>
  <span>They aren’t the only ones to notice when the gate starts to open. The scurrying spiderling demons aren’t fast or mobile enough to climb the floating rocks, but there are wisp-things that grow in size and morph in shape as they approach. Shikako tries throwing up a barrier to keep them out, but several smaller wisps combine and push through her barrier- not breaking it entirely but eroding it like a fast-acting acid. At least they won’t be swarmed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They go through as one, Shikako pressed against Justinia’s back and fingers dug into Shino’s coat- they don’t want to have to do this again if the rift closes before they all get through. Passing through the Rift is disorienting, like falling out of bed and forcing herself through solid stone all at once. Shikako resists the urge to go into Shadow State- adding another factor to the soup of weirdness is unlikely to help here. Instead she holds on and wills herself forward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They are through, falling into chaos and battle: giant scaled monster to the left, Sasuke and a rope of chakra connected to the rift to the right, locals scattered around in groups of similar uniforms hacking at the monster, firing arrows or fireballs or setting up barriers around the melee fighters and Sasuke. The entire place is alive with streams of greenish white chakra flowing down from the roiling hole in the sky above them, almost thick enough to choke on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Many variations of “the Divine!” and “she survived” and “he was right” fall out of the locals mouths as they appear- Justinia was right to make them recover her giant white hat from the spider demon that had stolen it- but the cry of “They’re safe! Close it!” from the dark haired swordswoman leading the fight against the scaled demon is both louder and more joyous than any of the rest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shikako can hear the eye rolling in Sasuke’s retort, “You do your job, Cassandra, and I’ll do mine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke’s ring of local guardians let the ninja and the Divine into their circle with gratifying speed if not the smoothness of practice. Shikako smiles as the press of too much chakra eases- a young elf guarding Sasuke’s left just cast the protection barrier again. It’s a relief until the lack of sensory overload lets her focus on the shift in Sasuke’s stance- something like Earth Flow, but focused upward- but there was no Wind Flow, what was he planning?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Sasuke is catching one of the floating chakra ribbons across his branded palm and restarting the spinning-rope technique, and the ribbon propagates it in both directions. Up into the hole in the sky, and down into the earth and the well of chakra buried beneath them, focused through the hole in Sasuke’s hand like a river focused through the eye of a needle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>works</em>
  <span>, but Shikako will have </span>
  <em>words</em>
  <span> with her teammate about this.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Two and Half Miracles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They arrive back in Haven and the Politics start immediately</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This battlefield is unlike most Shino has seen- so many participants, most out in the open rather than hidden. He goes to work anyway, sending his Kikaichu out to tag every being there. They had only been in the fade for several hours, but it was long enough to learn the feel of the local ‘demonic’ chakra, which was nothing like bijuu chakra.</p><p>Soon enough he has a much better idea of who is where, and is gratified that some archers on the perimeter are maintaining cover like sensible people. The group surrounding Sasuke and now the Divine are in the open because of the relative positions of the rift and whirling maw in the sky that is connected to it. Shino would prefer to take the Divine outside the circle of combat, but Justinia has procured a supply of throwing knives from somewhere and is using them to good effect against the smaller demons, and most likely would not be moved from her ranged support role without violence to her person.</p><p>Fine. They will just have to deal with the current problems before anything else goes wrong.</p><p>Shino sends a pair of wind blades at an approaching demon, cutting off a leg and then its head and slowing it enough for the mage next to him to finish it off with a crackle of ice. Apparently decapitation is not a kill-shot for this kind of demon- Shino makes a note.</p><p>On his other side, Shikako remains grimly focused on the defensive for once, refusing to look up or very far around. Which, if the swirling clouds of chakra are apparent to Shino, how much worse must they be to a sensor of Shikako’s skill? He will offer her a head-ache remedy as soon as the battle is over.</p><p>A shout goes up at the other major sight of conflict as the giant scaled demon finally topples and the dark haired woman yells at Sasuke again. Sasuke does not answer, instead shifting his stance from balanced to braced as he focuses more chakra through his hands and into the rift above them. This has the effect of sucking the remaining smaller demons upward and away from the battlefield like a receding tide. Several of the mages in their circle fan out to tend to those wounded in the fighting, while those warriors not too badly hurt move to stare at Sasuke and Divine Justinia.</p><p>Shino presses a mild painkiller on Shikako, who takes it with a grudging nod. Only then does he follow her angry glances up toward the hole in the sky, which is slowly but steadily contracting in on itself. If that is what Sasuke is doing then Shino sees no reason to stop him until his chakra levels dip far lower than they have so far, but Team Seven has been compulsively protective of each other at least since their first chunin exams. Shino can’t do anything about the Lucky Sevens’ impending argument or the hole in the sky, so he returns to monitoring the people around them. He directs his allies to tag anyone who was missed in the initial sweep and keeps his own watch on the slow approach of several individuals wearing unique outfits or officer variations of the standard uniform.</p><p>Justinia greets a red-headed archer with a hug, “I see you and Cassandra made it safely back from Kirkwall. I’m glad.”</p><p>“I’m sorry we weren’t here. We could have-”</p><p>“None of that,” Justinia cuts off her attempts at self blame, “There is no use dwelling in maybes. We must deal in what is.” She extends her sharp look to the dark haired woman who had been bantering with Sasuke earlier, who looks just as relieved as the red-head, if less likely to break out into spontaneous hugging in public.</p><p>The Divine is in the middle of introducing Shino and Shikako to Sister Leliana and Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast when Shikako snaps her head toward Sasuke and two of Shino’s Kikaichu alert him to an unknown attack. The stream of green-white energy flowing between Sasuke’s hands cuts off and he drops to his knees, slamming both palms into the stone and shouting, “Doton!” The uneven spray of red and blue crystal that spread from his hands is not any intentional jutsu that Shino has seen, but the rapid dumping of excess chakra into a form that is not an explosion- the red stuff in particular feels rancid to Shino’s senses, like the larger deposits on the far edges of the temple ruins.</p><p>Cassandra holds Shikako back until the crystal explosion is done and Sasuke looks up at them- no, past them. Shino doesn’t turn to follow his gaze but his allies give him a different means of perception. Along that path are several people and Shino mentally tags them all as worthy of extra investigation. Including both of the elven mages who step forward to help Shikako and Cassandra when Sasuke slumps over.</p><p>“Well, we did get the Divine back and the Breach <em>is</em><span> smaller than before,” a tall man in heavy officer’s armor offers, his own eyes flickering between the hole in the sky and Justinia. “If you two are his team, that’s two and a half out of three miracles delivered on.”</span></p><p>
  <span>Shino does not laugh, because the Aburame are not demonstrative in that way, but he does adjust his glasses. “If Sasuke has committed to dealing with the Breach, then it will be. Why? No other outcome will be acceptable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man laughs, “That does sound like him. I’m Commander Cullen, good to meet you. Thank you for saving the Divine, without her our lives would be a lot more difficult.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shino notes that he does not hold out a hand or bow, but the wariness in his eyes looks habitual rather than specific. “I am Aburame Shino. What are you commander of? Because your uniform is not one I am familiar with.”</span>
</p><p>“<span>Ah, well so far it’s unofficial so far but with the Divine back it’ll go ahead anyway since the fighting hasn’t stopped, and probably to investigate what happened here, what with the red lyrium and your friend-” the man seemed to realize he was wandering from the point, “Sorry, I’m the Commander of the Inquisition. It that hasn’t been formally called yet, but will be. Seeker Cassandra offered me the job to get me out of Kirkwall and I was glad to take it.”</span></p><p>
  <span>What an Inquisition means in this cultural context was nowhere in the background documents that they had access to, but Shino suspects that their bodyguard mission will entail rather more than simple rotating watches and counter-espionage. This time he does smile, but hides it behind his high coat collar. Shikako will keep a close watch on Sasuke, he will learn more about the people they will need to work with and the current situation. “I see. So these are inquisition troops?” Shino begins his work.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>“<span>Why do you have an explosion in your hammerspace?” Ah, Shikako is annoyed with him, Sasuke can tell by the warm hiss of breath in his ear and the chill bite of her chakra. </span></p><p>“<span>Where else was I supposed to put it?” Sasuke whispers back, shaking the fog of unconsciousness from his brain. He isn’t back in the cell- he’s draped upright between Shino and Shikako outside the walls of Haven, where a great many people are yelling, though he recognizes the two loudest shouters effectively covering their conversation. Ahead of them, Cassandra and Leliana flank Justinia to the right and left- as symbolic as any formal procession- while Cullen is arguing with Roderick the obstructive nihilist. “Excuse me, I need to deal with this,” he tells his teammates, sliding free and striding forward to do just that. </span></p><p>“<span>-Have no proof that the foreigners haven’t replaced the Divine with an imposter- Ah, there he is! Arrest him, Commander, he makes a mockery of the chantry with his puppet Divine.” Roderick looks exhausted, but has clearly been stirring the shit since they’d gone up the mountain, and then worked himself into a paranoid fit from the scouts bringing back news that’s </span><em>not</em><span> the End of the World. </span></p><p>“<span>Chancellor Roderick, do you have any reason beyond petty power grasping to deny these brave soldiers their rest after a very trying battle?” Sasuke did not yell but he didn’t keep his voice down either, and the various wounded soldiers and townsfolk gathered behind the gate as well as those who had followed them down off the mountain were all staring at them intently. Commander Cullen shifted a half step back and to the left, letting Sasuke into the argument with grace, “You did not doubt that Sister Leliana or Seeker Cassandra were who they said they were- surely the Right and Left Hands of Divine Justinia can confirm her identity sufficiently to meet your very stringent standards, Chancellor.”</span></p><p>
  <span>That level of clenching can’t be healthy, but the Elder is boxed here- Roderick can’t accuse all three women of being imposters when he was willing to work with two them less than a day ago, nor can he continue to hurl accusations at Sasuke when he has delivered the Divine as promised, even if he didn’t quite manage to close the Breach. He’s not sure where the surge of poisoned chakra that disrupted his hold on the jutsu came from, he was too distracted at the time, but Shikako and Shino are both very good, together they’ll find the saboteur if there is one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sure enough, the old man caves and their triumphant return gets back on track. Sasuke’s attempt to move back to stand with with team is thwarted by Justinia motioning him up next to her- he can sense a nefarious plot even before she latches onto his arm, because if she was actually having any problems walking Cassandra would have noticed and addressed it. So he’s at the front of the parade wedge when the gate opens all the way and the crowds lets out a cheer- </span>
  <em>wonderful</em>
  <span>. At least he’s in a good position to react if someone else takes a shot at the Divine as they mosey through the respectfully parted crowd toward the chantry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least the celebration is geared more toward shouting than singing.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shino considers pulling his allies back once that arrive in the safe Haven, but instead uses the tagged troops to map where in the town different groups feel comfortable. It’s clear that the place is used to visitors, but not in such numbers outside of summer. He and Shikako follow Justinia and her entourage up the hill toward the large stone building- “the chantry, don’t let them stick you in the cells like me and your buddy,” Varric warns them before peeling off and taking the more persistent elf-mage with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t have to worry about detainment, but there are not a lot of spare rooms in the building, so it’s likely they will be camping wherever Justinia sets up. The Divine is already receiving essential reports and delegating logistics but it’s clear that the nap she managed in the Fade won’t keep her upright for long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sasuke sends Cullen out before informing Justinia, the two Hands, and his team that the abrupt end of his attempt at closing the breach was due to sabotage, not fatigue. Shino and Shikako are the only ones not startled by this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassandra narrows her eyes, “Why don’t you want Cullen to know?”</span>
</p><p>“<span>Because he already has enough problems with mages,” Sasuke straightens drooping shoulders as she attempts to loom, “and if he’s really the commander you want for your combined forces Cassandra, then you need to re-think your own bias. He can’t command who he’s so obviously scared of.”</span></p><p>“<span>He did not seem to consider the mages part of his command when describing it to me,” Shino slides into the conversation before Cassandra can recover, “Commander Cullen seems to believe that the mages aren’t as committed as the other troops, even the templars who have only joined your cause in the last few days. Perhaps his experiences have made him this way, but a Commander can’t allow such emotion to rule them.”</span></p><p>“<span>We will take your observations into consideration as we reorganize,” Justinia smooths over the potential rift between the teams with graceful words and an iron glance, “I trust we can work together to discover the source of this sabotage so a second attempt can be made later.”</span></p><p>
  <span>They are all agreed on this, and the meeting quickly falls into a quick argument about sleeping arrangements. There are three beds in the side room and one desk. Shikako defeats Sasuke’s attempts to take a watch, rolling him into one of the beds as the Divine claims another. Shino uses her distraction to negotiate with other two to split the watches so that he can make Shikako sleep, as he knows the tell-tales of a lingering headache. Cassandra takes the third bed while Shikako crawls in next to Sasuke, who makes room without waking as far as Shino can tell. Leliana offers him the desk, saying she needs to send out more ravens. Shino takes this offer of trust for the test it is and settles down for a sentry watch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shino meditates on the pattern his kikaichu have mapped of the village and the inhabitants, the breathing of his allies, the slowly stabilizing flow of chakra around them. Their situation was still evolving, but he has some ideas of how this will not be a normal bodyguard mission. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the next three days some of those ideas prove prophetic, while others crumble under cultural differences. </span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Sunshine Awake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Team makes inquiries, thwarts an Egg, and accumulates a list. Three Days Later, someone wakes up.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">“The Mage Solas asked to study your hand again.”</p><p class="western">“Does that make fours times in the last three days?” Sasuke asks as he pulls a bottle of chili sauce from his pocket-seal and doses his bowl of stew before offering the bottle to Shino.</p><p class="western">Shino takes it: the spicing of the food here barely qualifies for the word. “Five times, if you also count his attempt to use Cassandra as leverage.”</p><p class="western">“I think that qualifies him for my fan club as a stalker,” Sasuke says lightly, though the movement of his free hand conveys /<b>Suspect?</b>/ in Konoha standard sign. They’re eating in the yard near the training grounds to see and be seen- <span>their </span>presence raises the morale of the troops in a tangible if not yet measured way, and there are plenty of places for people to try to spy on them from, all of which Shino has already bugged. Of course, what they’re actually saying will be hard to parse through Sasuke’s subtle Genjutsu, but that’s not <em>Shino’s</em> problem.</p><p class="western">Shino signs back /<b>Primary, Monitoring</b>/ as he lifts his own eating spoon, rather smaller than a serving spoon and different in shape to the soup spoons he’s used to, but functional for both eating and throwing at short range, “He would hardly be alone in joining the local branch of your admiration society.”</p><p class="western">“Shino, we’re good. But if you call the Inquisition my fan-club Justinia will roast me while making it sound like a compliment,” Sasuke recites like a prophecy he can clearly see in his mind, “Shikako and Varric will make sure everyone hears and repeats it to death, and then we’re going to have <em>Words</em>.”</p><p class="western">
  <em>Words</em>
  <span> is Shikako and Sasuke’s new euphemism for </span>
  <span>full chakra </span>
  <span>sparring to relieve overly intense emotions; Shino has mixed feelings on whether he wants to be included in those beat-downs, so he nods, “I understand.”</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>The first admirers are approaching, so Shino signals and Sasuke carefully lowers the Genjutsu as the trio of former templars comes up to thank them for saving their lives and Sasuke uses their thanks to draw them into conversation about those lives. They manage to confirm the usual templar attitude toward mages and Shino marks out the woman Lysette as someone to follow up with, as she seems to have more to say that she doesn’t voice in front of her companions. Sasuke will approach her later, </span>
  <span>since she falls under </span>
  <span>both</span>
  <span> the </span>
  <span>
    <span>s</span>
  </span>
  <span>word-</span>
  <span>carrying</span>
  <span> group </span>
  <span>and his area of investigation</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>After the templars drift away, they have another bite or two, then a small clump of mages approach, and they repeat the process. Sasuke greets Lysas by name and it perks the elf up from staring at his hands; the conversation that follows is much less guarded than Shino would expect. But then, the Inquisition’s mage contingent has tentatively labeled Shikako as an Arcanist, Shino a Naturalist, Sasuke as Arcane Warrior- not coincidentally all mage specialties. Shikako’s taken point in interfacing with the mages, but several have spontaneously volunteered to run errands for all of them due to their celebrity. As messengers they are over-qualified, but </span>
  <span>
    <span>the apprentices</span>
  </span>
  <span> have shown skill in locating specific people or needed items in the jumble of supplies the quartermaster is still sorting, and sending a mage gets prompt responses. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>The fear the general population holds for mages is reportedly because of their susceptibility to possession by demons. Whether that vulnerability is innate or acquired is on Shikako’s list of things to research, after Sasuke suggested that it may be psychosomatic propaganda by the church to maintain control over the chakra using population, similar to how they use the Lyrium magic drug to maintain control of their templars. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino is a little afraid to ask how long the list of research topics has grown in the past </span>
  <span>
    <span>few</span>
  </span>
  <span> days, and how long it will grow before they are done. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>The first day hadn’t been so bad- unsurprisingly, Justinia decided that they were better utilized in other roles than continually rotating shifts watching her read paperwork, so she’d insisted on alternate solutions. Shikako’s Panic Button was a human summoning seal that would work so long as they remained within fifty miles- tested by summoning Shino himself from the far side of the frozen lake- and they interrogated a sufficient number of Inquisition troops under seals and genjutsu to keep </span>
  <span>up</span>
  <span> a rotating watch on the Divine. Of course, between the three of them, Leliana, and Cassandra, the Divine is seldom without a fierce protector within earshot. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>This left them with time for other investigations </span>
  <span>and adding to the List. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino </span>
  <span>and his </span>
  <span>allies are still keeping tabs on </span>
  <span>everyone</span>
  <span> along the vector of sabotage while he </span>
  <span>works out who among them wants demons to keep falling from the sky</span>
  <span>, along with </span>
  <span>starting the ongoing war of</span>
  <span> identifying other spies in the ranks – </span>
  <span>it was typical counter-intelligence work in most ways except the new and strange motivations of some of the factions. </span>
</p><p class="western"><span>Shikako’s investigat</span><span><span>ion of</span></span><span> the </span><span>Damned Veil and the </span><span>Breach in hopes of finding a motive </span><span>for the </span><span>over the top </span><span>assassination attempt</span><span> and </span><span>a </span><span>safer means of reversal</span><span> was </span><span>of course </span><span>the main source of new things to research.</span> <span>Magic was a strange branch of chakra theory, and Shikako </span><span>hated not understanding how things worked. </span></p><p class="western"><span>Sasuke’</span><span>s</span><span> evaluation of the political factions present in camp and how they relate to the world at large -</span><span>explicitly </span><span>independent</span> <span>of</span><span> the view presented by Leliana and her spy network- </span><span>turned up a surprising number of </span><span>List I</span><span>tems to </span><span><span>confirm or di</span></span><span><span>sprove</span></span><span> because so many factions based their goals on assertions that the Shinobi had no personal </span><span><span>e</span></span><span><span>xperience with</span></span><span>. </span><span>The demon possession question, for example, was a very important one to both the mages and the templars, with a lot of anecdotes on both sides </span><span>but no one willing to c</span><span>ite numbers</span><span>.</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>O</span>
  <span>f course their inquiries were all intertwined- who the spies worked for was politic</span>
  <span>al</span>
  <span>, and the difference of opinion on </span>
  <span>oversight of </span>
  <span>magic use was the heart of the current skirmish war playing out in the neighboring rural areas. </span>
  <span>S</span>
  <span>o meals and e</span>
  <span>vening</span>
  <span> stretches had become a time to share information and plan their approaches- given that Shino and Shikako were determined to never allow the mage Solas to so much as side-eye Sasuke’s </span>
  <span>glowing </span>
  <span>hand ever again, coordination was imperative. </span>
  <span>They’d brought Varric in on their scheme after the dwarf had come to them with information about the red lyrium- even worse than the blue stuff, which was </span>
  <span>
    <span>p</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>lenty</span>
  </span>
  <span> bad according to Cullen. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>After hearing</span>
  <span> Sasuke’s initial reaction to Commander Cullen, Shino </span>
  <span>wa</span>
  <span>s </span>
  <span>surprised and</span>
  <span> impressed with the amount of information he was able to extract from the man in a single </span>
  <span>
    <span>e</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>vening </span>
  </span>
  <span>on two days </span>
  <span>acquaintance.</span>
  <span> Sasuke </span>
  <span>
    <span>gave</span>
  </span>
  <span> credit to Varric, the </span>
  <span>
    <span>man’s</span>
  </span>
  <span> unfamiliarity with</span>
  <span> shots</span>
  <span>, and </span>
  <span>toxic masculinity. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shikako snort</span>
  <span>s at this</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>No, I mean it,” </span><span>Sasuke insists, “</span><span>T</span><span>he amount of </span><span>repressed </span><span>trauma that man has experienced and never unpacked means the moment I expressed </span><span>my heartfelt </span><span>willingness to listen -</span><span>by plying him with a bottle of </span><span>high grade Souju-</span><span> he unloaded all the dirt with </span><span><span>no</span></span><span> filter. </span><span>Anko-senpai would be proud </span><span>and Ibiki-taichou would sigh</span><span>.</span><span>”</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino w</span>
  <span>
    <span>i</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>ll</span>
  </span>
  <span> not admit to </span>
  <span>laughing, because the Aburame do not gloat at the misfortune of others so openly, </span>
  <span>but it was amusing</span>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shikako </span>
  <span>
    <span>conjectured</span>
  </span>
  <span> that the demon possession may be a real thing related to the Damned Veil, making the whole culture of fear and containment built up around it a rational response. The odd separation of Yin and Yang energies seems be a natural effect of the landscape that afflicts all who are born under it’s influence. Mages </span>
  <em>seem</em>
  <span> to be those for whom this separation is not so absolute, but that is only a preliminary theory. Shikako is not happy with the amount of guessing and seems in it, thus it is the Damned Veil until it yields to scientific study. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>While Sasuke g</span>
  <span>ot</span>
  <span> Cullen drunk </span>
  <span>and Shino tracked an ex-templar to his tent in the regular recruit’s area </span>
  <span>yesterday, </span>
  <span>Shikako engaged Solas in a conversation in lieu of letting him look at Sasuke’s hand. </span>
  <span>M</span>
  <span>ostly about the Damned Veil. </span>
  <span>H</span>
  <span>er scowl said volumes on how little was really known about how </span>
  <span>the Damned Veil</span>
  <span> worked, even by a self proclaimed expert. “He is very poetic about how it holds old dreams and ghosts and wanted to tell me all about the historical scenes he’s eavesdropped on, rather than actually talking mechanics. And when I pinned him down, it was Meditation and Intent.”</span>
</p><p class="western"><span>Sasuke </span><span>frowned as he took off his sandals </span><span>and outer armor</span><span>, </span><span>stuck with mid-watch that night.</span><span> “</span><span>Well, my </span><span>explod</span><span>ed</span><span>-hand c</span><span>an</span> <span>feel</span> <span>distortions</span> <span>in the world near the p</span><span>ortals</span><span> the demons fall out of, </span><span>like ripples. </span><span>It’s how I found that one that was forming across the lake this morning and closed it before anything came out.</span><span>”</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>This</span>
  <span> had not calmed </span>
  <span>Shikako’s</span>
  <span> ire. “That implies a dimension made of spiritual energy overlaying the physical world rather than just a weird chakra separation effect. Sasuke what the hell! You can’t just drop that bomb and then go to bed!”</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino knows “I trust </span>
  <em>you</em>
  <span> not to turn me into crystal while I’m asleep,” is a phrase that out of context is almost meaningless. In context, it means that Sasuke thinks Shikako’s already more expert on the Damned Veil than Solas, and that keeps her from chewing his arm off </span>
  <span>and claiming it’s for science</span>
  <span>. </span>
  <span>
    <span>S</span>
  </span>
  <span>
    <span>hino</span>
  </span>
  <span> worries that the more missions he takes with this team, the more he’s learning to understand their strange version of respect </span>
  <span>and affection</span>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Whatever Shikako learned from examining the exploded hand for potential veil-connections, breakfast this morning involved questioning Cassandra about magical sensing methods: what the templars can do with a decade old vial of blood as a tracking aid is genuinely impressive. But while chakra sensing, </span>
  <span>Kikaichu,</span>
  <span> and the Sharingan </span>
  <span>
    <span>all</span>
  </span>
  <span> work to detect and </span>
  <span>to varying degrees </span>
  <span>decipher the basics of mage and templar abilities, the inverse is only true on a case by case basis. Shino and Sasuke are to report each confirmed instance so they can learn the pattern, if there even is one. </span>
</p><p class="western">So far this meal has drawn several watchers, one Shino had tentatively identified as a spy for the local kingdom and two new signatures, in addition to the overt approaches. But if any of the mages or templars noticed the privacy genjutsu, they have yet to mention it.</p><p class="western">
  <span>After the conversation with the mages, one of the smith’s apprentices presses against the other side of the fence to ask about swords and their </span>
  <span>
    <span>throwing knives</span>
  </span>
  <span>- a conversation deferred until dinner after the smith yells at her to get back to work- then a squad of the regular troops, two different mages and a scout officer that Sasuke nods to in recognition step up. They seem to want Sasuke to bless their upcoming patrol, from their hopeful looks they aren’t the first. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino watches his normally sarcastic fellow ninja transform himself again, not with Henge but with his bearing and tone, standing tall to give them a little speech about protecting the people in the surrounding countryside and each other by containing any demons that fall from the Breach until they can arrange competent help to try closing it again. The admonishment to return safe punctuated with a wave of his green glowing hand settles the resolve of the group and they all salute in the local way before marching off. </span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>You’re getting good at that,” Shino says.</span></p><p class="western">“<span>I wish Naruto was here to do it,” Sasuke sits and picks up his bowl again, “He’s a natural.”</span></p><p class="western">“<span>I believe it has been proven that practice and drive can rival any natural ability,” Shino says and is pleased to win a smirk and nod of concession for his poor imitation of Lee, though he shares the sentiment.</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>The last person to approach them is quieter than the others, showing up as the squad marches out of sight. The woman is in a loose undyed robe and leather slippers, the kind of clothing put on patients by over-tasked local healers when their own things are not salvageable. She moves with care for her wounds, which from the faint smell need a stronger disinfectant, but her eyes are filled with determination and hope as she spots them. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Rather than drop the Genjutsu that hides their true conversation, Sasuke hooks her into it with them. Shino shifts, alarmed.</span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>It’s you,” Sasuke and the woman say together.</span></p><p class="western"> </p><hr/><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">
  <span>Bethany’s past month has been really fucking rough, so she takes waking up at all as a win for the good guys. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Her gray warden robes getting reduced to so much ash and twisted metal turns out to be another blessing, if the rumors about the foreign saviors are referring to the same trio that busted up Corypheus’ Assassination Ascension attempt. It would have been awkward to be identified as an enemy before she could wake up and pull together a defense. </span>
  <em>Mind controlled by a red lyrium infested magister </em>
  <em>dawkspawn</em>
  <span> is not the kind of defense she’d like to make in a nightgown not her own, but it’s better than nothing. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>The thing is, the last memory she has before waking is of one of the foreigners with black and red eyes disrupting the mind control enough for her to regain her will, tear her energy free of the spell-circle and throw it and herself directly at the damned unkillable darkspawn. So in theory that foreigner could confirm her story- which would increase her survival chances in a place called the Inquisition by a long mark.</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>So she listens to more rumors while the healers give her oat porridge with honey, acquires shoes, and sets out- luckily asking after the location of the saviors isn’t seen as strange, they’re instantly as famous in this little village as Bethany’s sister ever was in Kirkwall. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>She’s lucky they’ve set up down-hill from the healer’s tents. She wonders when this lucky streak is going to bite back.</span>
  <em> Just a little longer.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>So her luck holds- halfway. The one that recognizes her is also the one who can confirm that she and the others were being mind-controlled. The confused look on the other’s face is a bad sign. He’s making some small gestures- not spell work, some sort of communication, but the one with the eyes that weren’t black-and-red but now are tilts his head and they both wait to see what she has to say. It’s a little unnerving. At least she’s on the inside of their privacy spell, so she doesn’t have to ask them to talk somewhere private and raise suspicions before she’s said her piece. </span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>Hello again,” She raises her hand in greeting, “We’re not enemies anymore- I mean, </span><em>we</em><span> never really were, but the mind control. Thank you, I know you were busy but whatever you did broke the spell enough for me to take back control. I thought I was making a heroic sacrifice but it looks like I survived and my mind is my own again; my friend Varric would say that’s the luck of the Hawkes at work,” she realizes they don’t know her or the Hawke name, and that she’s rambling without getting to the point. “I’m Bethany Hawke, regrettably of the Grey Wardens, and I know this is going to sound all kinds of suspicious, but I’d like to tell you about the darkspawn magister you saved the Divine from- my siblings and I killed Corypheus before and I’d like to help you do it again and make it stick.”</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>The pair exchange a look and another flicker of gestures before the one in the thick coat speaks, “We’re pleased to meet you, Bethany Hawke. I am Shino Aburame, and this is Sasuke Uchiha. By any chance is the Varric you spoke of Varric Tethras of Kirkwall?”</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Bethany blinks, hope rising for </span>
  <span>a</span>
  <span> familiar face, “Yes. You know Varric?”</span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>More every evening,” Sasuke mutters, pushing some of his wild bangs out of his face, “Let’s get your identity confirmed, and if it checks out you can tell us all about this Corypheus asshole.” He tucks both empty soup bowls into a bit of folded space tattooed onto his side -</span><em>How cool is that? I want that enchantment recipe- </em><span><span>then</span></span><span> drops down from the woodpile they’ve been sitting on, revealing that he’s an inch or two shorter than she is. </span><span>He</span><span> offers her his arm for the hike back up the hill.</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>Bethany doesn’t </span>
  <em>want</em>
  <span> to need help, but one thing she learned dealing with Carver and Marian is that pretending you don’t need support often leads to needing more later. She leans on the offered arm as they head up, outwardly unfazed by the faint green glow and the occasional wave of power reaching up to the hole in the sky, just as she's ignoring the buzz of insects in Shino's coat and power core and they're probably ignoring the taint in her blood pulsing in time with her heartbeat. <br/></span>
</p><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">
  <span>* </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>It turns out the Enchanter responsible for the space-folding tattoo is their team-mate Shikako and Bethany wants to pick her brain forever.</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Varric confirms her identity with the usual embarrassing questions and gives her a big hug, careful of her injuries, inside his tent. Then she and Varric get smuggled into the chantry office serving as the Divine’s bedroom and base of operations for the team of </span>
  <em>shinobi</em>
  <span> and she meets Shikako the Brilliant. The privacy spells on the room are tied to the paper tags over the door and single window, but they’re in a style she’s unfamiliar with- half rune and half spell. </span>
  <em>Fascinating, how did she make that stable?</em>
  <span> Shikako notices her noticing and Bethany knows that they’ll talk about it later, once the important world-saving conversations are out of the way. </span>
  <em>Priorities.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Varric is a great help when she starts the story of Corypheus with their first encounter; he has a better memory for all the details they picked up from the journals and survivors of that mess, and when she had to explain the more recent events on her own, he fills in some context that the </span>
  <span>trio</span>
  <span> don’t have because things are really different on the other side of the ocean. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>It’s not that exciting a story, really- she’d been sent for by some of the local gray wardens to help with a project, she’d arrived to discover it was a trap: when the initial mind-control hadn’t worked she’d been drugged and they’d tried again until exhaustion and a double-dose of Mindbleed overcame her resistance. </span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Then she’d been a passenger in her own body as Corypheus used her as a battery for his spells and a prop for his ego- he had to hold her too tightly for anything else, unlike the other mages he’d suborned. That was the real problem, that many of the other gray wardens had been influenced but not controlled fully. </span>
  <span>
    <span>Bethany</span>
  </span>
  <span> didn’t understand what would motivate them to listen to a darkspawn magister, even if he could whisper into their minds, they should know better! The whispers get too loud: you went underground to fight to the death, there was a whole Tradition around it!</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Sasuke has his red eyes spinning through both her stories- apparently that lets him memorize them in some way that can’t be messed with by memory-eating demons. Which explains why Shino and Shikako don’t seem to have direct knowledge of their confrontation, only conjecture and what their teammate has relayed and drawn. The sketches aren’t masterpieces, but the armor is recognizable and accurate, along with identifiable features on a majority of the Wardens- for a battle that lasted seconds, it’s better than most guards could do for wanted posters. </span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>No one is accusing the Wardens yet, though?” Bethany asks as she hands the sketches back.</span></p><p class="western">“<span>We didn’t know for sure- mind control aside, some of you had armor that fit well but some of you didn’t, so we couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t a false flag operation meant to frame your group and let the real culprits and victims fly under the watchtowers,” Sasuke points at the sketch of Corypheus, “He didn’t look like he belonged with you. And even if we were sure, announcing what we know before we’re ready to do something about it would be stupid.”</span></p><p class="western">
  <span>Varric laughs, “Don’t you love how twisty their minds are, Sunshine?”</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shikako spins her pen and points the blunt end at him, “We’ve only gotten started, Serah Tethras. I want to hear more about the prison that this Corypheus escaped from. Knowing what doesn’t work will keep us from reinventing the wheel.”</span>
</p><p class="western">
  <span>Shino moves for the first time since she started talking, unfolding from his perch on one of the beds, “I’ll inform Leliana that we have a lead on the identity of the assassin, though his motivations are apparently somewhat mythological.”</span>
</p><p class="western">“<span>Wouldn’t be the first time,” Shikako chirps and Sasuke swats at her. </span></p><p class="western">“<span>I’ll go ask the mages to locate some clothes,” Sasuke rises from the trunk he pulled up next to the desk when the chairs ran out, “What’s your preference?”</span></p><p class="western">“<span>Armored robes if there’s any to spare- I want to help,” Bethany nods her head in thanks. </span></p><p class="western">
  <span>The young men go; she listens to Shikako and Varric bantering back and forth and it’s easy to forget how much everything hurts for a little while. The sky has a hole in it, but she’s got one old friend and at least three new ones who believe she didn’t mean to help the monster who put it there- it’s a start. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Bethany: I lived bitch!</p><p>Next time: Justinia makes some decisions, explains why they still needs an Inquisition, and feathers are ruffled.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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